Power Shift 2009

Inspiring Speech by Mary Wood

Posted by webmaster on Tue, Nov 24, 2009 @ 6:32 pm

Mary Wood spoke during our amazing rally on Sunday after our parade.

Here is the text of her speech:

http://www.law.uoregon.edu/faculty/mwood/docs/PowershiftRally.pdf

Power Shift Western 2009 Conference: Rally Keynote

November 6, 2009, Eugene, Oregon

Mary Christina Wood

Philip H. Knight Professor of Law, University of Oregon School of Law

This country has never seen a youth movement – a Power Shift -- with so much potential to change civilization. Your birth certificates don’t give any clue of this, but you happen to be alive at the most pivotal moment in the history of Humanity. You have been drafted by Nature into an epoch struggle to literally remake our world. You inherited ecological bankruptcy, yet you’ll build ecological wealth. You are one generation in Humanity that will get to say, “we saved this planet.”

We are all part of a global uprising that is mind-blowing, heart-stirring, courage-testing and spirit-moving, all at once. Our compatriots are people of all ages and in all walks of life, in every corner of the globe, who are fighting in the factories and in the fields, in the schools and in the homes, in the hospitals and in the crisis centers, in the halls of Congress and in the courtrooms, to capture this last fleeting moment of opportunity to save our planet from catastrophic climate heating. Because the circumstances of our time have presented us with a heroic task, we have no choice but to be heroes. If there were a handbook for today’s climate hero, I think it would have these five chapters: 1) Know your reality; 2) Understand your task; 3) Lead the politics; 4) Tell your story; and 5) Invoke your authority.

Power Shift West sends ripples across 13 states

Posted by webmaster on Tue, Nov 10, 2009 @ 11:06 pm

Student organizers working with Cascade Climate Network (CCN), Oregon Student Public Interest Research Group (OSPIRG), Sierra Student Coalition (SSC), and student groups at the University of Oregon hosted Power Shift West ’09, which began Friday, November 6 and went through Sunday, November 8. The three-day event featured educational workshops; special guests including Rep. Jefferson Smith, Rikki Ott, and Pete Sorenson; opportunities for participants to learn more about organizing local groups to advocate sustainable living practices; and a capstone march through the streets of Eugene.

Our Work Has Just Begun

Posted by webmaster on Tue, Nov 10, 2009 @ 10:59 pm

We hope you had an awesome time at PowerShift West and have gotten inspired to get more involved in the national climate movement. Last weekend 580 students and young professionals participated in 12 panels, 27 workshops, and listened to 9 amazing keynote speakers. So now it's your turn to tell us how you thought it went!

Please fill out this survey and tell us what your favorite parts of the conference were and how we could improve it. Your feedback is super important and it will take just a few minutes.

Read on to find out how to stay engaged

Two Amazing Keynote Speakers Tonight

Posted by webmaster on Sat, Nov 7, 2009 @ 1:42 pm

We have a great set of keynotes lined up for the conference tonight!

There are two individuals that we'd like to highlight:

Alli Chagi-Starr

Alli Chagi-Starr is the Senior Community Engagement Strategist with Green For All, a national organization dedicated to lifting people out of poverty through the green economy. A resident of Oakland, CA, Alli is a co-founder of the 10-year old Art in Action Youth Leadership Program and its new Green Youth Arts & Media Center. Alli has worked as a choreographer, theater director, cultural event producer, writer and dancer. She facilitates seminars on developing creative tools for global/personal transformation and community building. She has a B.A. in Cultural Organizing and Performance from The Art and Social Change Department of New College of California, 1991. Her essays about innovative activism appear in multiple publications.

Lela Brown

Click here to see a video about Lela.

Last Minute Info You Need for This Weekend

Posted by webmaster on Thu, Nov 5, 2009 @ 11:18 am

PowerShift West is TOMORROW! Over 500 young leaders from all over the west coast will be joining YOU to learn about solutions to the climate crisis and grassroots organizing skills!

Here's what you need to know to be prepared for the weekend:

Check-in is in the EMU Lobby. (View a map)
Keynote speeches start at 7:00pm on Friday, don't miss out!
Bring: a pen, a notebook, a reusable mug and lots of energy
Look over the conference program ahead of time to select which workshops and panels you want to attend (there's a lot to choose from!). Download the conference program now!

Those are the essentials!

Read on if you want all sorts of other details.

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